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I love it!

My history: ( please scroll down if you would just like to read just the review...I fear I may have waffled)

My other half is not afraid of spiders. As the 7th child of a poorish family spiders had been one of his favourite past times, and nothing would delight him more than to see a spider crawling up his wall. He would pick it up, and force it to crawl from one of his hands to the other in an endless frenzy to escape but ending up pretty much where it started somewhat like a hamster wheel or a treadmill. Being absolutely terrified of spiders myself I thought this was great. My husband, My hero, my prince in shining armour, who laughed in the face of spiders, and who would no doubt protect me fom the threat of these eight legged creatures especially those that dared to invade my home. Oh, how naive I was!

Needless to say that delusion was soon nipped in the bud. It's only a spider! I used to play with spiders! I am well aware of that thank you very much but would you mind please escorting this spider outside. Nope, he wouldn't do it. He simply could not or would not understand that spiders in my eyes were akin to snakes and scorpions if not more poisonous, more harmful. But did he even try to understand? No! I had to learn to fend for myself.

Most of the time I didn't. I just avoided using the room or area a spider was exploring at the time. the amount of take outs we had obviously increased at this time, but the arrangement was one I learned to live with. And I did. I survived. The spiders and I learned to co-exist, we tiptoed around each other, turned a blind eye to each others faults and temperaments and waited til the other had left the room before venturing therein ourselves. It was a frustrating yet tolerable existence.

But the story doesn't end here my friends, oh no. For thereafter, came the kids! My kids that is, not the offspring of the spiders thankfully. It's all very well to ignore and avoid spiders yourself but have you ever tried to convince a child to do so? Not going to happen is it? Spiders Entering my home during ths period of my life, were regularly granted long hot showers that resulted in them disappearing down the plug hole, or were not so cordially invited to attend spider tea parties in my vacuum cleaner where they would then take up permanent residence until oh emptied said vacuum cleaner.

But the guilt, oh the guilt of drowning and murdering these innocent but vile creatures ate me up inside. The nightmares I had of parent spiders coming to seek revenge was more than i could bear to live with. There had to be a more humane way of ridding my home of these spiders. Of politely yet firmly letting them know that they were not welcome here and although trespassers would not be shot, they're presence would not be tolerated. And so the hunt for the perfect weapon began.

So there I sat, armed with that useful wealth of information we all know as google, frantically hunting for that perfect object, that hidden elixir that I just knew was out there waiting or me to find it. I came across many different items during my search. This tiny little box thing for example, slide it open, place over spider, slide it shut, carry spider to its new destination. Sounded simple enough except for one major flaw. There was no way I was going that close to a spider. Nuh uh! Then I came across this plug in that deterred spiders from entering your home. Wow! Absolutely brilliant! Forget trying to take them out...stop the root of the problem itself. Prevention being better than cure and all that. It sounded perfect. It Sounded too good to be true! And unfortunatelyo it was. Too good to be true. A quick ask around and I found out tht my sister in law had one and it did NOT do the job! She had literally found a spider a few centimetres away from the thing! Definitely didn't do what it said on the tin. And so the search continued.

Continued that is until I found this beauty. And a beauty it is. After asking around I came to realise that no one I knew had anything like this and therefore no one could give me their opinion on its effectiveness or lack thereof. I would have to purchase one myself, and so I did. Thanking you Amazon most kindly. It arrived the same day as my 10 year old nephew from Canada. (an unattended minor...he had a fantastic flight!) My nephew had a great time testing this out on the plastic spider that it came with and when I asked him to throw that horrible plastic creature into the bin, he promptly put it into his pocket for later use. ( on his friends thank God and not me)

After a few uneventful days a spider was spotted in the kitchen. It was huge! One of those ghastly ones that cannot really be seen from far as they have thin but long, oh my, long legs and a teeny body. My nephew, super excited at the prospect of using this new gadget came rushing into my room to inform me of our latest house guest and kindly offered to attend to it. And attend to it he did. One confident swish later the creature was rendered immobile and was escorted out. It was brilliant. My nephew stayed approximately a month and in that time disposed of 7 spiders without a glitch. Fantastic. But then he had to leave. Meaning now I would be in charge of the spider removal services in our home.

My review:

So, the gadget itself. My first reaction was that it looked a little like an olden days litter picker, rather like the one my young daughter had made at school that enabled them to pick up rubbish from the floor without bending down. The principle of the thing was the same: pull lever which opens up the bristles at the other end. Position bristles over the spider and let go of lever...thus trapping the spider within without harming them yet making it impossible for them to move. All of this at arms length. Then take the gadget, spider and all to wherever you wish. Pull lever again and watch the spider crawl out unharmed. Simple yet effective.

Effectiveness:How effective is the item? Is it easy to use? The item is pretty good with large spiders. However you have to approach the spider quite confidently...as if that's possible...what I mean is that if you hesitate before closing the bristles, the spider will run. The longer you take positioning the bristles just right the greater the likelihood of the spider escaping. Just quickly open and shut close to the spider and most likely it will catch the creature. Well, that's my experience anyway.

The gadget is not very good at catching the smaller of this species. But for me that isn't really an issue, as I can usually coax these on to paper or card ( preferably A3 or larger) and throw them out of the nearest window/door (please tell me they don't die). It's the larger faster brothers I have a problem with and this spider catcher does the job just fine.

Many people seem to have an issue with the bristles getting bent rendering the item useless. I can honestly say that I have not had this issue. I have had my spider catcher for approximately a year now and it's just as effective s it always was. I think the problem may perhaps be that the user presses the bristles hard against the wall. I literally swipe the area near the wall and voila... A captured spider.

Also, I have caught spiders from nearly every angle imaginable. Wall, floor, ceiling, corners, even one rather large one dangling from the ceiling. I have also used it to catch unwanted flies and wasps that have sneaked their way into my home.

Hints and tips:The catcher comes with a pretty big fake plastic spider. So if even the sight of a fake spider freaks you out..be warned! Always have the door or window open beforehand. Makes the job much easier.You may want to invest in more than one...upstairs, downstairs, work or even for friends and family that may witness this item at work and want one too. Trust me they will be forever grateful. (just ask my mum)Be quick and confident.

Verdict:I love this item. I no longer have to tolerate spiders in my home. Every time I capture and release a spider I feel great. As achievements go, removing a spider from your children's bedroom may not seem like much, but every time I do I feel I can conquer the world. And I can honestly say that my fear of spiders is also decreasing as I now have confidence in my ability to deal with them. Truthfully, I feel liberated and independent...no longer the damsel in distress every time I see a spider.

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A nice gift

Arachnophobia is one of the most common fears...and one that my mother has! I remember her being stranded on the work top for hours till my dad came home one day because there was spider loose in her kitchen!When I saw this little gadget I could resist purchasing it for my mum's birthday. She was very impressed with such a novel gift.

*Price and availability*

The cheapest place to buy these is online and you can pick one up for around £7.99. My garden centre has them for £9.99.

*Description*

The Spider Catcher has a handle and a trigger at one end that operates the bristles at the other end; it is approx 65cm in length to allow you to approach the spider at a safe distance. The bristles are quite soft and do not close tightly, allowing the spider to be trapped but to be uninjured. There is a plastic spider in the box so that you can practice your moves.

The Spider Catcher can catch spiders and daddy-long legs from 2mm (0.08 inch) in length up to 25mm (1 inch). It can also catch other insects such as ants, beetles, etc. You can catch butterflies, moths, wasps, bees and flies by side sweeping them when they are trapped on your window.

*Directions*

Grasp the handle and with a squeeze of the trigger the bristles open. Once you have surrounded the spider quickly release the trigger and the bristles close gently around the spider, catching it safely and soundly. Now you can safely release the spider outside by pressing the handle again. The bristles open up and the spider falls out. Now shut the door quickly so it can not run back inside!

*My experience*

My first spider catching experience was not a success and little old Simon the spider had a terrible time with the spider catcher and when I went to release him outside, he fell to the floor like a raisin. The shock must have killed him rather than the spider catcher itself, as on the whole the spider catcher is quite gentle.

The purpose of the Spider Catcher is to catch and remove spiders and other insects without harm, offering you a natural environmental pest control product, this is without any chemicals and batteries required. My next few attempts were more successful and the spider catcher does make things a lot easier as you hardly need to get near the spider at all before you are grabbing it and moving it. Catching them on the run is trickier especially if they are quite small and we have had a few little monsters escape the spider catcher's clutches. If the spiders run in corners or under furniture, the length of the stick makes it easy to grab them still, that is if they are not too small.

The results are hit and miss and one of my concerns is the durability of the bristles, after 6 months they have started bending due to being pushed against the floor. I doubt whether it will last a year but it is a novel gift, despite being a tad expensive.

A nice novel gift nonetheless.

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It's not as if they are intent on eating us, is it?

We live in a barn conversion and since we have been here, we have encountered some of the biggest spiders we have ever seen. It has been quite bad towards the end of last year and our visiting son obviously picked up on this having seen us operate our own home-made spider catcher..... of which more later.

He bought us this spider catcher for Christmas. It looks a bit naff and it is a bit naff. It comes as a longish plastic pole with a trigger mechanism on one end and a set of bristles on the other. When you have spotted a likely victim that you want to trap and remove from your home, grab your spider catcher from whichever home you have allotted it and manoeuvre it over the spider, ideally when he is stationary. As you press the trigger, the bristles on the end open and as you release the trigger, the bristles close and if you're lucky, they will close around the spider, enabling you to secure it within the bristles until you are able to release it at a safe distance. It's kind of doing to the spider what the spider does to the fly, enclosing it so that it cannot escape.

Well, it works after a fashion. It takes a bit of practice to catch them when they have put a spurt on and my wife gets a bit excited and pursues them rather aggressively which means she has bent the bristles back a bit as she aims a bit too hard. So, my issue with this is that although it does the job, it isn't very robust and for what we understand was about a tenner, this should be a bit more solidly constructed if it is going to be of lasting use.

After just 3 weeks of use, we have reverted to our previous spider catching device consisting of a plastic container previously containing Jelly Beans, plus an old hard mouse mat. We simply drop the see through plastic container over the spider and then slide the mouse mat under it on the floor so the spider is trapped and unharmed. I then get the job of taking him up the lane and releasing him, running back fast enough to seek to ensure that he doesn't beat me back! It's a safe and humane method, built from items already in the house. We like it better and we now have one for upstairs in the bathroom and one for downstairs.

The colder weather seems to have had an effect on the numbers of spiders encountered but when they reappear, as they surely will, we'll be ready for them!

I'll have to give this gadget some stars because it does actually work. I just think that it's not the best way to catch spiders so I will nominally deduct 2 stars because it isn't robust enough to last and it looks pretty naff into the bargain.

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Don't bother with this

I bought one of these last year. It was about £7.99 from one of the gadget websites plus a couple of pounds p&p. I'm terrified of spiders but feel bad when I gas them with insecticide, however my terror usually outweighs my compassion.

This arrived with a plastic practise spider so you can allegedly perfect your skills before trying it on a real spider. It is a handle with a trigger that when pressed closes the bristles together and supposedly holds the spider in the bristles so you can deposit it outside. It's supposed to be that simple and you are supposed to be able to use it on other insects too.

I already have one of the plastic box types with the sliding lid but found that only worked if the box can be held sideways for the lid to slide shut, which means if the spider is on the ceiling or floor you have to close it with your hand (I shudder at the thought of my hand so close to a spider) and it doesn't get into corners either and the handle is flimsy so the end can fall off. Imagine having a huge spider trapped in the box only for the end to fall off and deposit the spider at your feet?! It's not useful for spiders but is for bees and wasps.

So this gripping catcher seemed ideal. My first thought upon looking at it is the handle isn't long enough. It's only a couple of feet long which isn't really far enough away from the spider to make me feel safe. However I tried it on the plastic spider and found I was quite good, but let's not forget the plastic spider doesn't move!

The first real spider I tried this on was a small one. I felt safe enough to have a few swipes at this spider but couldn't get the bristles to close around it no matter how much I tried and my partner picked the spider up and took it out after several attempts.

The next trial was outside on a larger spider but it too escaped the bristles and ran away sticking it's tongue out at me and celebrating my uselessness with the tool!

We get some massive spiders in our house every year, huge beasts that come from the fields at harvest time and I really didn't feel confident about this spider catcher. I kept thinking what if there's a huge beast on the wall and I miss it? They run so fast.

So I kept practising for a while on small spiders and the plastic spider and found the bristles not only didn't grasp the spider as they are supposed to but started to bend with the frequent sweeping near the floor action.

Once the bristles have bent that's it, game over. They no longer close properly and catch nothing, not even the plastic spider. I eventually gave up with this, the spiders still have to die if I'm alone or be removed by my partner. I use my catcher as an occasional toy with one of my cats now, he likes the way the bristles are wide open around his paws and then I close them and he goes crazy for it!

The plastic spider had to be thrown away after a few "jump out of my skin" incidents when I forgot it was in the drawer and opened it!

This is a bad invention and doesn't work, would someone please invent one that does work???? And also that is far enough away from your hands to be viable.

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Well worth the money for the peace of mind it brings

I bought this last year from www.iwantoneofthose.co.uk. They cost £8.99 each and, if I remember rightly, the postage and packing was a further £3.99. When the postage is added, it works out to be quite expensive for a gadget but my old spider-catcher had broken and I could not risk the autumn without one. I have vacuumed spiders up as a last resort but a) this is not fair on the spider and b) they can live quite happily inside a vacuum cleaner for three weeks to my personal knowledge, emerging twice the size when the time comes to empty the cleaner!

So, there I was with my STV Spider Catcher at the ready and along came the first spider to volunteer. He was way too quick for me and my new weapon and I have to confess that the Spider Catcher made me have to stand a little to close to it for comfort. I let that one escape. I found it much easier to use when the next candidate (it may have been the same one) appeared walking up the wall in the dining room. Somehow, because he was not on the floor, I felt more confident approaching him - I just had to make sure I grabbed him first time so that he didn't end up on the floor.

The STV Spider Catcher did actually gently scoop the spider up and, most importantly, prevented him from moving about in the bristles because the last thing I wanted was to find he could escape and come to get me. I opened the back door, opened up the bristles and released my prey on to the patio. When I checked five minutes later the spider had obviously gone on his way, most likely to annoy my next-door-neighbour who is even more terrified than me!

The STV Spider Catcher comes complete with a menacing-looking plastic practice spider; it will make you jump when you first see it but is essential to try with this before you have to deal with the real thing. The device keeps you at arm's length from the spider and you use the trigger at the end of the handle to open and close the bristles to catch and then release the spider or, indeed, other creepy crawlies and things like dead wasps and hornets It is perfectly safe to use and is the most practical and humane way I have yet found to catch a spider.

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Product Details

The Spider Catcher is an innovative new product which uses two sets of bristles to gently catch the spider, carefully trapping it until you release it outside, or as most of us do, down the loo. With a trigger at one end and the bristles at the other, there is no need for you to spend your nights on the sofa because a spider has decided to move into your bedroom! Grasp the handle and with a squeeze of the trigger the bristles open. Once you have surrounded the spider quickly release the trigger and the bristles close gently around the spider, catching it safely and soundly. Now you can safely release the spider outside by pressing the handle again. The bristles open up and the spider falls out.